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Heishiro Mitsurugi
Heishiro Mitsurugi (御剣 平四郎, Mitsurugi Heishirō) is one of the most recognizable characters in the Soul series of fighting games. Mitsurugi made his first appearance in Soul Edge and has returned for all six sequels: Soulcalibur, Soulcalibur II, Soulcalibur III, Soulcalibur IV, Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny and Soulcalibur V. He also appears as a playable character in Soulcalibur Legends and will be playable in the PS3 exclusive Soulcalibur: Lost Swords, as He Who Lives for Battle. What lies in his soul is Strength. History Soul Edge Heishiro was born the fourth son of a farmer in Bizen, Japan; but after many years of seeing his homeland ravaged by war, he decided to become a samurai. After his parents' death in his 14th year, he took a sword and the name Heishiro Mitsurugi. He went to train under the powerful warlord of the Murakami clan. At this time, Japan was in the middle of the Sengoku Jidai or "the age of the country at war" in which the feudal lords or "daimyos" attempted to claim the title of Shogun. Mitsurugi was a powerful force on the battlefield, and rumors of him spread like wildfire, heralding him as the warrior that could mow down foes like fields of wheat, and he was noted by Uesugi Kenshin and Oda Nobunaga as a great warrior. He received numerous military commendations and eventually reached the rank of commissioned officer in the Japanese armed forces. But all along, his only true desire was a worthy opponent. After leaving the Murakami clan, Mitsurugi continued to fight in every war in Japan as a hired mercenary. It was during this time that he had learned of a new weapon that was said to be changing the way wars would be fought: the rifle. He originally dismissed this weapon as a novelty, but he soon learned that it was capable of obliterating the Takeda cavalry at the Battle of Nagashino. He sensed that the arrival of the rifle in common warfare would put him out of business. He decided that the only way to combat with this was to find a stronger weapon: the enchanted sword of legend, Soul Edge. Soulcalibur Unfortunately, Mitsurugi was unable to find any trace of the legendary "Hero's Sword" on his quest and began taking tasks that were largely meaningless to him in order to pass the time. One of these involved guarding a nearby castle for the night; and another of which involved aiding the Spanish Marquis Andre's force in laying siege on Sir Stefan's Ostrheinsburg Castle. In his frustration of finding no signs of Soul Edge, he returned home and challenged a man wielding the rifle Tanegashima to a duel, trying to prove that he didn't need Soul Edge to beat the rifle. However, he suffered an embarrassing defeat in front of his lord, leaving him with a scar of a gunshot wound and forcing him to depart in shame on a second quest to perfect his swordsmanship so that he might eventually defeat the rifle. It was during this quest that he learned of the Azure Knight, Nightmare, who terrorized Europe with a sword deemed invincible. Nightmare's trail eventually disappeared, but Mitsurugi was unwilling to give up, after returning from his quest Mitsurugi challenged Teppou Hei again, but this time Mitsurugi managed to kill the man with a single strike with his katana. Soulcalibur II Four years later, Mitsurugi stumbled upon the trail of Soul Edge while visiting a castle in Xiwei (present-day Xi'an), where a mysterious dying man, after being saved by him from a gang of assassins, handed him a shard of the cursed blade. Although skeptical at first, Mitsurugi accepted the gift. Soon afterward, an incident occurred in which a servant of the Emperor of Ming marched to the castle, demanding the "Hero's Sword," and was slain when he refused to leave without it; Mitsurugi sensed that war was coming, but Soul Edge meant nothing to him. He had crossed countless battlefields, defeating every conceivable enemy, even those with rifles. What had once been his greatest enemy was none of his concern, as it no longer proved to be a threat. His only concern was with finding an opponent stronger than himself. It was at this time that he was suddenly attacked by unknown forces, but he fought off all of his attackers quite easily. They were after the fragment the man from Xiwei had given to him; and judging by their outfits, they appeared to be ninja, with a sword technique he found strangely familiar. They reminded him of his nemesis Taki, who had interfered every time he had drawn close to the Soul Edge. His thoughts drifted, wondering what was happening in Japan at that time, and whether or not he could have a final showdown with Taki. He decided to return to his homeland. Soulcalibur III By this time, the powerful daimyo of Owari, Oda Nobunaga, was dead. Betrayed at Honnoji temple by his retainer, Akechi Mitsuhide, the other daimyo were now faced with the decision of whether or not to align with his successor, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. The Murakami clan in particular, with whom Mitsurugi stayed upon his return, refused to join with mainland Japan, choosing instead to protect their existence as fierce pirates and rulers of the sea, but their resistance caught the attention of Hideyoshi, and a final stand was about to ensue. Since Mitsurugi could find no trace of Taki, he decided to aid the Murakami in the battle. A nighttime raid commenced. The ships clustered together and rode the tide in to charge the enemy fleet - the traditional secret strategy of the Murakami. The battle began, and Mitsurugi stormed enemy ships like a hurricane. This combined with the Murakami's naval prowess allowed for swift victory, and Mitsurugi was decorated for his service, gaining an invitation to meet with the Murakami commander. The commander engaged him in long conversation, mentioning rumors of a warrior clad in azure armor appearing from the west and boasting the strength of a god. Mitsurugi looked up in surprise, realizing that this must be Nightmare, whom he had lost track of before. Mitsurugi bade farewell to the Murakami and ran to a nearby port, giving all of his reward money to a boatman, demanding that he be taken west. He needed neither money nor fame, only the satisfaction of a fierce battle in which his very soul would clash against his opponent's; and that battle, he concluded, would be found in Nightmare. Soulcalibur IV Mitsurugi searched for many powerful warriors from all over the world. But no matter how many enemies he fought and how powerful he became, he still hungered for more. He gave up searching for the legendary sword because he figured that no matter how powerful a weapon, it's useless if one doesn't have the strength to match it. However, after he defeated some assassins that were looking for information about Soul Edge, he remembered the fragment of the evil sword that he had. He was about to throw it away because he felt that he didn't need it, when suddenly, the fragment had an unholy glow, and then it flew into the sky, heading west. With anticipation, Mitsurugi followed, hoping to find both Nightmare and Soul Edge. He also heard rumors that the land before him was filled with terror, and horrible monsters and insane warriors were gathering. These stories didn't scare Mitsurugi, however, in fact, it excited him. This was a challenge that seemed worthy for him. Soulcalibur V Ever-searching for a worthy adversary to test his skills, Heishiro Mitsurugi journeyed to Ostrheinsburg; there he entered a chaotic alternate dimension and faced the Hero King, Algol, high atop a colossal tower. The two warriors clashed when suddenly Algol disappeared, along with the tower and all their surroundings—a dimensional convergence had warped Mitsurugi back to reality before the duel could be decided. Some time later, rumors of a great conflict back in Japan reached the wandering swordsman—a power struggle that would determine who would rule the entire country. Mitsurugi raced back to his homeland, but it was too late. The battlefield at Sekigahara was deserted. The war was over. While most of Japan would enjoy the ensuing era of peace, thousands of masterless samurai found themselves out of favor and out of a job. With no money to continue his travels, Mitsurugi resigned himself to a quiet life as a farmer. Then, one day, he happened to encounter a group of soldiers, freshly returned from a tour of duty abroad. The men spoke of a great sword, so mighty that even now they only dared whisper its name: Soul Calibur. One mention of the Hero King's sword is all it took. Mitsurugi's lust for battle returned in an instant, stronger than ever. "Algol! I'm coming for you..." The samurai sold his entire harvest and secured transport on the first boat to the continent, seeking an end to the duel that had begun 17 years prior... Personality Mitsurugi has only one goal in mind: To seek out the strongest warrior and challenge him/her to a duel then become the strongest warrior in history. He is never satisfied at the opponents he defeated in battle. Aside from being cocky, Mitsurugi is the kind of a person who sticks to his words; he's not all show. Being a ronin, he fights with honor and kills his opponents in an honorable fashion, and several of his endings reveal that he has a moral side. He believes that true strength lies within a person and not from the weapon. He is considered a neutral character. Fighting Style Mitsurugi's fighting style is one of the easiest, fastest, and the strongest fighting styles in the game. He displays incredible strength in most of his attacks. His low attacks are arguably the best in the game and some of them can be chained to make a combo. His kick attacks are mediocre in strength but they are speedy too. Mitsurugi can also switch stances that wait and counterattack an opponent. While in these stances, he can use several of the many Attack Throws that can easily catch his opponent if not expected. His weakness however, is that some of his attacks are predictable even though they are fast and damaging. Also, he is criticized for having few moves and his strong attacks are frequently used so the opponent has a chance to counter these attacks. However, Mitsurugi is placed between mid to high-tier by Soul Calibur fans. Gallery Category:Namco Bandai Characters Category:Soul Characters Category:Arcade Debut Category:All Characters